The Fox's legend
by Ignis Verbum
Summary: Slight AU in the beginning, Naruto is a bit more serious in his pursuit of Hokage. Possible Naru/harem CRA subplot in the future(undecided)
1. Prologue

I wanted to try my hand at a rewrite of the story, while at the same time adding in my own stories. I got this idea after reading other fanfictions on this site.

Suggestions are always welcome, and welcome to the first chapter in Naruto's new legend. I'll stay close to the canon, but it might stray occasionally due to "past" things that have changed the course of several events.

warning: I do not own Naruto. If I did I would kick Sakura into gear, and tell Hinata to go after Naruto in a less crazy way than stalking.

* * *

Pain, that's all the boy could feel as yet another assailants fist hit his ribs. He stayed quiet because he knew if he gave them any reason they'd hurt him more. He'd just heal up within a day, or two so he wasn't so worried about getting hurt in the first place. It was that he'd done nothing to make them mad.

"Stay down Demon Brat" A man's voice said as a foot his his chin. He cuddled up into a ball to protect his face, but the foot had gotten past his defenses.

"I've got a dog at home who would love to go on a fox hunt" another man said. The boy thought it was odd that he was talking about hunting foxes while they were beating him up, but maybe he was getting bored.

"We don't want to leave any marks, and chunks of flesh are definitely marks" This time it was a woman. He heard a few other people mumble, as they continued to beat the kid into pieces.

"Let's go. We've already been at this for half an hour. Who knows when the anbu assigned to him gets here." another woman said. A few mumbled agreements, and the boy was left alone in the alley he'd been thrown down.

"One day they will stop. One day they will respect me." The boy said standing up after he was certain his attackers were. Although he didn't feel it, his eyes glowed red for split second. "I will be Hokage one day." With that Naruto seemed to disappear into the shadows of the alley. Anyone who saw it would say the fox was acting up inside him if they were biased like that, but they would never think that the boy actually knew how to do anything to do with jutsu past the three required ones since he was an academy student. So he never used them in front of others.

At the building where he lived naruto found the door broken down. Carefully he entered the building and disabled what traps he could find in the entry. After that he checked his bedroom. He found some daggers attached to a trap meant to pierce through his bed, and whatever was in it when pressure was applied. Although they weren't kunai, they would work well enough for now. He continued looking, and found a couple more traps that were both harder to find, and easier to dismantle. From those he knew he'd get some money from the scrap metal he found, and the junkyard loved his business unlike most businesses.

Thinking he'd found them all, and going over the house once more to make sure he sighed in relief. He removed a board in his bedroom that seemed to be missed whenever the house was raided. He removed a chest from the cavity, and opened it. Inside sat a picture of the Fourth hokage, and items he'd gathered over the years from traps, or from stores that actually took his business.

The picture was his hope, the fourth was his idol and there was a resemblance between the man and himself so he imagined the fourth being his father. How silly was that right? If his father had been the hokage, he'd be treated right and not like a fox being hunted for sport. So he resigned himself to reality, and placed the tools he'd kept from the traps in the box while removing an outfit he'd been gathering since he joined the academy.

He'd wear it for real the day after tomorrow if he finally passed the test, but for now he just wanted to make sure he'd still have the right sized items. He stripped out of his obnoxious orange clothing, replacing them with what he considered true shinobi clothing. A pair of black ninja pants with multiple pockets, a long-sleeved mesh shirt, and an orange short sleeved shirt. He loved the color, he just thought the entire orange outfit was obnoxious. They fit well so he removed them, and placed them back in the chest. Carefully putting it back he changed into a pair of orange shorts, and a white shirt to sleep in and quickly fell asleep unaware that a masked man was watching outside the building. Once sure that the boy would be safe while he slept he left his watch.

"Lord hokage. I wish to speak to you about the boy" a dog masked man said dropping into the rounded office. Sarutobi knew who it was so he ignored the rudeness in the man's tone. He looked over the man in his Anbu attire. The man in front of him was one of only a few who got the wolf mask, and one of the fewer who were allowed to use their real names because of the rumors going on about them.

"Yes Kakashi?" The old man said. Anything to do with Naruto was bound to be important. Although few knew it Kakashi was the boys protector when he wasn't away on missions, which both the hokage and Kakashi agreed was too often.

"I just witnessed the boy remove several traps from his house, without activating them. He also revealed the outfit again." Kakashi said knowing the old man knew what he meant. He'd told the old man about the outfit before, and how he believed the orange clothing was a way to stand out while staying hidden. By this he meant that by being a huge target, most people ignored him which kakashi believed the boy knew, and used to his own gain. He often saw the boy read old scrolls he'd gathered from the trash of the clan compounds. He hadn't seen the boy practice jutsu, but he was often gone days on missions so it was possible the boy knew some.

"You mean that a twelve year old, who has failed the early graduation test twice before has single handedly dismantled the traps you believe that trained ninja, who haven't forgiven the fox, leave to possibly maim him." Sarutobi stated. Kakashi knew it wasn't a question, so he only nodded. "The same boy who can't produce one decent clone, and who I regrettably feel will not graduate tomorrow."******  
**

"Yes sir. I would like to request I be assigned to his team should he pass. I would not want sensei's sacrifice to be in vain, and he seems to be much more ambitious than a normal academy student." Kakashi said. Sarutobi thought about it. Yes, the boy would be guarded by his protector and the man who should have been like an older brother while at the same time being trained by the best the village had to offer.

"I agree. Should he graduate one way or another I'll have him assigned to you. of course you know the civilians will want you training the Uchiha instead." Sarutobi said. Kakashi merely nodded. He knew the Hokage would do what was needed to appease the council.

"Heres to a new beginning for Naruto. I hope him the best" Kakashi said before shunshining out of the building.


	2. Demon Kit

Thanks Darkryus To answer your question He'll have Wind definitely, but beyond that I'm not totally sure.

This chapter strays some from the original, but only so Naruto would seem more determined and less scared. It also shows him in a slightly more intelligent way which is what I want. He'll still somewhat of an idiot, but he'll be a better ninja.

warning: I do not own Naruto. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

* * *

"Today's the day ain't it." Naruto said to himself as he got up. This would be the last day he'd wear so much orange, even if it was his favorite color. He would be a ninja, a true shinobi of the leaf but first breakfast. what better to have for breakfast than ramen!

"Welcome everyone to Graduation day. If you are able to pass the tests set out before you today you will join the ranks of Shinobi" Iruka said smiling at his class. "Wait for your name to be called, and then join us in the other room where we will have you present different techniques." He left the room, and one by one names were called out and the room emptied. Time passed slowly as Naruto waited.

"Naruto Uzumaki please come in." He heard Iruka's voice say. He carefully stood up, and slowly made his way to the exam room. He'd taken the exam twice to try to graduate early, so unlike the other students he knew what was going to happen. Once he reached the spot he was supposed to stand at, he turned to see Iruka, and Mizuki sitting at a desk. "Please show us a Substitution," Naruto did the signs, and disappeared leaving Iruka staring at Mizuki who was now where Naruto was. Next to him he heard a laugh, and Naruto reappeared in front of the table. Mizuki snarled, but decided to pass him on that test even if he didn't want to.

"You shouldn't use it on allies, even in practice" Iruka said checking the skill off. "Now show us a transformation, and I'm warning you if it's your 'special' transformation I will dock points so just do a regular one." Naruto sighed, but after thinking for a second he grinned. He knew just who to turn into. One day he'd seen this man train like a madman, and being a strange looking man he decided it was a good one to use to mess with people. 'Time to bring out that guy.'

"Transform" Naruto said creating handsigns. A puff of smoke surrounded him, and left the instructors flat out on the floor once it dissipated. On the other side of the desk where Naruto had been stood a shirtless Maito Guy, with only a ript jumpsuit covering his lower body. Both instructors hid from the sight, and tried to get the image out of their minds. The same question was on both of their minds. 'How does the kid know about Maito Guy...'

"Naruto stop the transformation, and create two clones." Iruka said, and when he heard two more poofs of smoke he decided to look back up. Instead of a shirtless Guy, he saw Naruto and two clones who were face down on the floor without any coloring. Sighing he pulled Mizuki up, who had curled up into a ball to try to remove the image from his mind. 'Oh that fox is so getting it later today...'

"Sorry Naruto, but you didn't pass. " Iruka said carefully. To his surprise Naruto just walked out of the room without a word. No "believe it", or saying he'd become hokage. Unlike him.

Later that day Mizuki found Naruto in the village. "Hey Naruto" he said facing the boy who looked like he was about to run.

"Mizuki-sensei?" He said not sure if he should run, or stay. Mizuki had never been overly mean, but he'd never been overly nice either.

"Naruto will you come with me" Mizuki said "I promise I won't hurt you"'. 'yet' he said to himself. Naruto followed the man to a small overlook where Mizuki told him to sit down.

"Iruka has been my friend for a long time. He's a very serious person, and his parents were killed when he was young. So he has to do a lot for himself." Mizuki explained to the young blond.

"But why does he only pick on me?" The boy said trying to make sense of it all. "I mean it's not like I've done anything to him other than a few pranks."

"You want to know a secret? He probably sees himself in you. He's probably thinking that he wants you to become a ninja in the real way, so you can value it more. Try to understand his feelings. Both of you are orphans, so you should be able to understand him a bit." Mizuki said trying to comfort the boy.

"Still wish I had graduated." Naruto said bummed out. No parents, no ninja career. His life wasn't going the way he'd hoped. At least with a ninja career he'd be able to make some money, and learn the skills he'd need one day if he was going to be hokage. If he wasn't a ninja his whole goal in life was a waste of time.

"Well then. I'll tell you about the secret exam. You see occasionally we see fit to hold an exam for those we believe would be good ninja, but don't pass the traditional exam. All you have to do is steal the forbidden scroll from the hokage mansion. This'll show everyone your abilities to get into a place unseen, and get out unharmed. If you are caught by anyone it also allows us to see how you deal with the situation. You also have to learn a jutsu from the scroll to show your capability for jutsus."

"Sounds dangerous, but I'll do it" Naruto said standing up and pumping his fist into the air. "and one day I'll be Hokage!"

"Okay, just get going." Mizuki said trying to hold back his hatred for the kid.

In the forest Naruto sat alone reading the scroll. "Okay, First skill here is... Oh what? Kage bunshin really? Might as well. I might even get it right" Naruto said standing up, and brushing dirt off his pants.

half an hour later the Hokage woke up from checking on an intruder, and finding Naruto sneaking around. Unfortunately he was caught by Naruto's sexy jutsu, and knocked out. That's how he found himself gathering the ninja together to find the thief, although he knew there must be more to it.

"The boy Naruto has stolen the Forbidden scroll, and you must find him. I must ask you not to kill him, and I will try to find him in my own way rest assured. Now go." Sarutobi said. The ninja he'd gathered spread out across the town to find the boy.  
Iruka stayed a bit longer thinking where the boy might go 'I'll check the forest.'

Naruto was exactly where Iruka thought he'd find him. "Hey I found you" Iruka said shaking the boy carefully. His head was rested on the scroll like a pillow. Naruto opened his eyes carefully, and then yawned.

"Oh hey sensei. I did what Mizuki-sensei told me to do! I took the scroll, and learned a jutsu from it" Naruto said grinning. It took Iruka a minute to process this, as he hadn't thought that Mizuki would try something like this.

"Why are you all beaten up?" Iruka asked hoping he hadn't gotten hurt, even if he'd stolen the forbidden scroll. If what he said was true then it wasn't his fault he stole it in the first place.

"Forget that. I want to show you my new skill I learned." Naruto said with enthusiasm. He spread his legs apart, and put his hands together for a handsign.

'so you've gotten beat up trying to learn a new jutsu.' Iruka thought to himself. He was sorta proud of his student, even if he'd done it the wrong way. "Naruto, where did you get that scroll?"

"From the Hokage's place. It was right where Mizuki-sensei told me it would be. He also told me about this place." Naruto said grinning, as he stood up forgetting he was about to show Iruka the new technique he'd learned.

'so Mizuki really did this... but why?' Iruka thought. He sensed something to his right, so he pushed the boy away from danger. A large group of kunai sailed towards them, and struck Iruka in multiple spots.

"Nice job finding him" Mizuki said revealing himself. He wore his konoha headband, and a giant shuriken on his back in addition to his normal shinobi wear.

'So it's true.' Iruka thought to himself. Mizuki tricked naruto into getting the scroll, but the only reason was so he could get the scroll from a weak boy and learn the jutsu inside for himself.

"Give me the scroll Naruto" Mizuki said staring at the helpless boy.  
"What the hell is going on?" Naruto said scared. He knew ninja were harmed often in duty, but never by allies.  
"Naruto. Whatever you do don't give the scroll to Mizumi. He tricked you to get it for himself. It has dangerous jutsu inside that the Hokages have declared forbidden." Iruka explained. "Now run!"  
"Guess there is no use hiding it now. You know of the Kyuubi right? twelve years ago the beast was sealed into a human body. That body was you. So hand it over fox, or I'll kill you like you deserve." Mizuki said with a cruel grin. "You are the fox that killed hundreds of people. Who killed Iruka's parents. He hates you, just like everyone else."  
"No." Naruto said. His face was determined, and he wasn't about to move.  
"What?" Mizuki said. He expected the boy to run. To use the jutsu he learned against the village. Not deny what he was being told.  
"I'm not the Kyuubi. I may be the cup, but I am not the water." Naruto said using the glass of water to explain his situation. "I admire the Yondaime, and I would never hurt the village. I wouldn't even hurt those that have punished me for no reason. If I was the demon incarnate I would kill them, but I haven't and I won't. I will prove to the people of konoha that I am not the fox."  
Iruka smiled at the boys determination. Maybe he should have passed him, but it was too late for maybes. "Just run!" He yelled, but Naruto stayed firm.  
"No sensei. I've still got to show you my new technique, and Mizuki-sensei needs to be taught the difference between a jail, and a criminal. Because that's where he will be soon." Naruto said channeling his chakra, and doing handsigns. "Shadow clone jutsu." He said loud enough for Iruka, and Mizuki to hear.

Before it was finished Mizuki was sure the boy would mess up, and it'd be easy to take the scroll. Unfortunately for him a thousand Naruto's with physical bodies surrounded him, and jumped into action. In no time the man who had once been an instructor was on the ground unable to move.

"How did you like it sensei?" Naruto said calling over to Iruka. Iruka grinned at the boy. One moment he could be serious, and the next he'd be talking like he had joy to spare.

"You did well." Iruka said removing the kunai from his legs, and walking over to Naruto. "Now close your eyes." Naruto did as he was told, and felt something being tied around his head.

'Now open them." Naruto did, and saw that Iruka didn't have a headband on. touching his own forehead he felt the metal plate, and traced the leaf insignia.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei!" Naruto hugged his teacher, and Iruka patted the kids head.

"No problem. You earned it."

In the hokage's mansion Sarutobi was watching from his crystal ball, and smiled. 'You did it boy.' He snapped his fingers and an Anbu appeared from the ceiling. "Go and tell the other ninja the search is off, and when you are done arrest Mizuki in the forest." Once the Anbu was gone he smiled "Good job Naruto."


	3. Team up

Welcome everyone to the long awaited chapter three of Fox's Legend. I've done minor updates on chapter 1, and 2 but nothing major. Now I've decided to

* * *

With a yawn Naruto sat up in his bed. "Finally!" He yelled to himself before quickly getting changed into his new clothes. He decided to add a few thing since the day before, but in the end he was happy with how it looked. He glanced to the mirror on his door, and smiled. There he stood in baggy black pants, a long-sleeved mesh undershirt, an orange shirt, and a black jacket. He pulled on his sandals, fingerless gloves, and his kunai pouch and was out the door. He pulled on his headband, and rushed to the academy.

"Hey Naruto. Why are you here?" Shikamaru said placing his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Check the forehead man. I'm a ninja" Naruto said with a grin. "And check the clothes. I'm taking it seriously, maybe you should too mr lazy."

"Maybe. I'd prefer watching the clouds" Shikamaru replied as he walked away with his hands behind his head.

Once Shikamaru was away from him, Naruto closed his eyes to wait.

"Hey. Can I get by you?" He heard someone ask.

"Yeah. Sure" He said opening his eyes, and standing up. "Oh Sakura. Heh. Nice to see you here." His smile widened, but Sakura just pushed past him to sit next to Sasuke. She paused a second before turning around, and glaring at him. Then her eyes popped wide open.

"Wait. Naruto?" She said surprised. She glanced him over. There was still orange in his outfit, but this outfit was more for stealth than Naruto's usual orange outfit. It seemed odd of him to wear something like that. "What's with the outfit. Trying to be more like Sasuke?"

"I'd say I was going for a more Itachi Uchiha based look. Maybe not the best person to emulate, but I'd definitely not be caught taking fashion advice from emo boy over there" Naruto said laughing as he sat back down. Sakura was surprised. This wasn't the same loud mouthed kid who'd pestered her for dates almost everyday. Naruto still seemed to be joking around, but not at the prankster level he'd been known for during the academy years.

"Oh, and the orange jumpsuit was a joke. I hated it, not for the color but damn was that thing annoying. Fun to see peoples reaction though." He said not looking at her. How much did she really know about him? Oh well, as long as she was on a team with Sasuke she'd be happy.

"Okay everyone, please sit down." Iruka said beginning his speech."Today marks the day that you are ninja. You are all entering a brave new world, and will face many hardships along the way. I will not lie to you, this path will not be easy. However, if you train, and focus I'm sure all of you will become great ninjas. Now I'll list off the teams."

Naruto lost focus, and began thinking about what he knew of teams and who he was at least somewhat familiar with. Ino-shika-cho would be a definite. He assumed he'd be put with Sasuke because of the tradition of putting highest scoring, with lowest to balance the teams. He would assume that either Hinata, or Sakura would be put on the team with them to balance out the genders throughout the teams. That would leave Kiba, and Shino as the ones with clans and they'd both do great as trackers. So toss them on a team. He hadn't heard his name, but since he'd run through those he knew he returned his attention to Iruka.

"Team seven will be Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha. Team eight will be Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Kiba Inuzuka." Naruto laughed inside. He so called this. He didn't recognize any important names from team nine, but team ten was spot on. "Team ten will be Ino yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. That is all the teams, your sensei will be here soon to pick you up to begin training, but first there will be time for lunch."

Eventually everyone had gathered their lunches, and headed out.

"Hey Sakura." Naruto began.

"The answer is no. I won't have lunch with you." Sakura said. She didn't hate Naruto, but he did seem to get in the way of her dating Sasuke.

"Wasn't my question. I wanted to know if you wanted to go get Sasuke, and start to learn about each other. Could give you a chance to see the real Sasuke, and for him to get to know you beyond the whole crazed fangirl vibe you give off around him." he said only half caring. He couldn't blame her for the reaction. He'd given her enough reasons over the last few years alone.  
"Oh. Okay then." She said. She wasn't sure why, but that actually kinda hurt her a bit.

"Okay. Here's my box, I'll go find Sasuke and bring him back." Naruto tossed her his box, and seemed to vanish. Sakura set down the boxes, and rubbed her eyes to check them. Nope She wasn't seeing things. Naruto had actually left without her seeing him leave. She closed her eyes, and opened them, and to her surprise was Naruto standing with a bound Sasuke standing in front of her.

"Sorry I'd be here sooner, but this guy wouldn't agree to come with me nicely. Now the three of us are going to go sit up on the roof, eat our lunch, talk, and wait for our sensei." He said tossing Sasuke over his shoulder, and began walking, Sakura followed not making a sound. This was definitely not the same Naruto she'd known since they began school. He was completely different, and she noticed that Sasuke wasn't struggling. Either Naruto had knocked him out, or he was wondering what had happened to the rambunctious pre-teen who would always yell about becoming hokage like her.

It had been about three hours since they'd sat down on the roof when the door opened, and out stepped a man with white hair, and a leaf headband. They hadn't talked much, although Naruto had tried to get some conversations going.

"You must be my Genin seeing as you are the last ones here. I'm Kakashi Hatake your Jonin sensei. Welcome to reality. Now let's introduce ourselves."

"Um sensei. What should we share?" Sakura asked. She knew that back at the academy it was your name, and a hobby. This was a totally different atmosphere altogether, which shook her a bit.

"Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, goals. The normal stuff" Their sensei said sitting down in front of them. "I'll even go first. I'm Kakashi Hatake, I like some stuff, and dislike others, I don't really have any hobbies, and my goals are private."

"So we know your name?" Sakura asked quietly. The blond, and black haired boys next to her nodded their heads.

"Let's start with you blondie. You seem a bit different from how you were described." Kakashi said pointing Naruto out immedietly. He already knew the boy was hiding stuff, but he'd like to know how much he'd tell a complete stranger. The boy stood up, and brushed invisible dust off his jacket.

"Okay then. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen and books, I dislike arrogant jerks, my hobby is playing pranks, and sometimes I read a good book. My goal however is already set before me, and it's a path I'll follow. I will become Hokage, and one day I might even settle down but not before I make the village a better place for everyone." Naruto said with determination in his eye.

Sakura was shocked. Some of it sounded like the Naruto she knew, mostly the ramen and pranks, but so much of it surprised her that she wasn't sure. he sat back down, and looked at his teammates.

"Okay. Pinkie, you are up." Kakashi said leaning back, If all three of them would be like that, then the team might actually be fun to work with. Sakura stood up carefully trying to regain composure.

"Oh, um I'm Sakura Haruno. I like... Someone, and dislike... others. My hobby is to hang out with friends, and my goal is to... do something with Someone." Sakura said shyly. Kakashi groaned on the inside. One for two so far have been good. Hopefully the uchiha boy would make the team not horrible.

Sakura hadn't even sat down when Sasuke stood up. "I'll jump right in. I'm Sasuke Uchiha. There isn't many things I like, and a list of things I don't" Sasuke said beating Kakashi to it "My hobby is training for my goal, and my goal... is to revenge my clan, and kill my brother."

"An interesting group. Now tomorrow meet me at training ground seven to begin a test. Don't eat breakfast as you'll probably want to throw it up by the end." Kakashi said "The test begins at 7 so be there before that."

The Jonin shunshined off leaving the three to themselvs.

"Did you see that?" Sakura said turning to Sasuke. He nodded, but didn't say anything. When she looked to her other side she saw that Naruto wasn't there. "Did you see Naruto leave?"

Sasuke glanced over before laughing "A dead last? I knew he was hiding something. No one is that annoying. Not even an idiot like him. This will be fun indeed." He left Sakura sitting on the academy roof shocked at the behavior of her teammates. Naruto surprised her at every turn, and Sasuke was exactly how other boys in their class described him. How had she not caught that. She sighed, and decided to walk home.


	4. Reading Time

Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait. Got distracted by school, and then when summer came I was totally brain dead. so here's Chapter four the bell test.

For the people who want to know, I've decided on Naruto's Affinities. He'll be Wind as in canon, but he'll develop a second in the future. I'll try to drop hints in the story for people to pick up on. If anyone guesses correctly(with reasoning...) I'll confirm it in the Author's notes before the next chapter after they correctly guess it along with their reasoning. Also no genin in this story will be getting their second affinity until after the wave arc, before the chunin exams.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

The three genin found themselves at the training area waiting. In the main area of the training grounds sat three short poles, and a few yards away was a stone monument. Naruto sat on a pole cross legged with his eyes closed. while Sakura sat on the ground resting on one as she considered what had happened yesterday. Sasuke was in one of the trees looking down on the area. None of them had said more than a few words of greeting.

"Hey Naruto." Sakura finally said breaking the silence. "Why are you just sitting there? I think this is the longest I've seen you quiet, ever." The blond opened his eyes and grinned at this comment.

"Figure that out Sakura. You're the brains of this team, but since you asked I'm not as hyperactive as I act. I mainly do that to make people underestimate me. To be honest though only the last few years have been a lie, before that I was an obnoxious kid for real. I'm not as smart as someone like you, but I'm not as stupid as some poeple think. I just like reading fiction instead of studying, and I do get distracted easily when I'm not enjoying something" Naruto said, moving his hands behind his head.

"And the dates?" She asked curiously.

"The reason I asked you out on dates was It furthered my goals to hide my abilities if you said no, but if you said yes then. Well, I got a date with a cute girl."

Sakura blushed, although she wasn't sure why his compliment got to her, when none of the others he had ever said did. "You're an idiot Naruto. If what you say is true then why hide what you can do?"

"You mean, why don't I want to graduate early like our sensei? He graduated at the age of five by the way. I'd rather live a little, instead of being thrusted into life" Naruto said.

"Wait. Our sensei graduated at the age of five? How do you know this?" Sakura said.

"I checked the public records." Naruto said with a grin.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Sakura said in awe. The Naruto she knew didn't do anything like that. 'What's going on here?' She thought to herself 'What happened to the idiot from class?'

"Hey Kakashi. You can come out now. I know you've been watching us for the last thirty minutes." Naruto yelled off towards a group of trees. Sakura was about to laugh when their Sensei jumped out of the clearing. Her jaw dropped before she retained her composure.

"Naruto right? How did you know I was there?" Kakashi asked. The reports said nothing of any sensor jutsu in his arsenal, but then again the only techniques he was known to be able to do were the transformation, and substitution techniques before the incident with Mizuki.

"A technique I learned from a scroll someone threw away. I release a small pulse of chakra out of my body and I know where it's disrupted by other chakra. I can't tell one person from another, and the range isn't that great before it disperse into the air and fades. So I took a shot in the dark about it being you." Naruto explained.

"Well. I was unaware that you could do that. Anything else I should know?" Kakashi said. 'If he ever learns how to distinguish chakra signatures he could be an excellent sensor with his reserves.'

"Once we get this 'exam' over with I'll tell you." Naruto said with his normal grin. He knew that some of the stuff he could do would blow the others minds if it came from someone as young as him.

"Okay. Sasuke come on down. We need to begin." Kakashi called over to the kid.

* * *

Once Sasuke joined the others Kakashi began to explain the test. "Okay. So anyone who fails this exam will be sent back to the academy. There are two bells. Anyone who gets a bell will pass." Kakashi said looking at the faces of the genin. Sakura was shocked, Naruto was grinning, and Sasuke was smirking.

"But sensei. Didn't we already become genin?" Sakura asked. She had never heard of something like this, but then again she hadn't been tied into the gossip about other classes after they graduated.

"That puny test was just to see if you had the basics down. This is to see if you are mentally ready to take the path of a ninja." Kakashi said leaving out the teamwork part on purpose. "Now then. Let's begin. At noon this exam is over. You have roughly two hours now. You won't succeed if you don't go through it with the intent to kill. Begin" Sakura, and Sasuke ran off into the trees while Naruto stayed behind.

"Okay sensei. Let's get this part over with." Naruto said with a grin. He lifted his hand up into the air, and Kakashi could actually see the chakra cloaking his arm. The chakra cloak continued from right above his elbow down to his fingers. The chakra solidified into a black substance, and the finger tips sharpened into claws. "Demon Claw Jutsu" He shouted as he charged at Kakashi.

'Okay that's a surprise. Creating armor out of pure chakra.' Kakashi though as he analyzed the technique. It would only be as sharp as Naruto willed it to be, and it would probably last only a few minutes before the chakra on his arm began to fade away. He jumped back a few times as Naruto clawed the spaces he was. Kakashi chuckled as he shunshined behind the blond. "Thousand years of Death!" He yelled as he used the technique on the blond. Naruto turned his head and grinned.

"Boom Kakashi." the blond said as he exploded, sending Kakashi flying backwards. An exploding clone? But that technique was in the forbidden scroll. When did he have time to learn multiple techniques from the scroll, he was only missing for about an hour.

* * *

A distance away Sakura had watched the fight, and began to fear for her chance at being a ninja. If that was what she was supposed to be able to do, then she was not cut out for it. Something tapped her on her shoulder, and she sent her fist into whatever had done it as she turned around knocking it down.

"Come on Sakura. What was that for?" Naruto groaned. "I thought we were finally becoming friends, and you punch me in the face."

"But you were out there fighting Sensei." Sakura argued. "How was I supposed to know you were behind me when I just saw you explode."

'That was a solid clone, and that clone said way too much to you earlier, Bastard. But never mind that. I have an idea about what is going on, and I wanted to give you and Sasuke a chance to see Kakashi in action before telling you two it. I have a clone talking to Sasuke right now about it." Naruto began to explain.

"Okay what's this idea?" Sakura asked interested. She hadn't expected anything the blond had thrown at her so far, so she expected this to be good.

"How many genin teams do you know that don't have three total genin on them? It's part of the rules that there must be three genin to have an official team. He's obviously trying to split us up so we don't work together." He continued. Sakura thought about it for a little bit, it was true. They learned that back in the academy that each team consisted of three genin, and one jonin.

"Ouch." Naruto said interrupting her thoughts. "Sasuke didn't have to punch me in the gut, wait I remember what the clone did. Oh god, that's awesome!" Naruto had a big grin on his face. He hadn't realized that that was what the scroll meant when it said that shadow clones were good for gaining information, he assumed it was like what he did with Kakashi.

"You were acting like an idiot." Sasuke said coming up to the others. "But you make sense."

"I'll give you both of the bells just in case. I've done enough to impress Kakashi already showing him two forbidden techniques, one custom technique, and a sensor technique. It's time for you two to shine. If I'm sent back to the Academy it just gives me more time to perfect my skills, but you two were getting bored from what I saw." Naruto said. The other two nodded confirming what he just said. The both felt that portions of class were too easy. "Okay. Sakura you are the brains of the team, any ideas on a strategy?"

Sakura poked her finger into the ground, and started to draw out a plan. "Okay. Sasuke will approach Kakashi, and act as a distraction. I'll sit back and watch for a bit, and send in Naruto who will take the bells." She continued to expand on the outline, and the three agreed on it.

* * *

"Kakashi. Face me!" Sasuke yelled into the air as he stepped into a clearing. Kakashi materialized with a swirl of leaves in front of the boy.

"You're as much of an idiot as the blond." Kakashi said as he watched the Uchiha perform hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu" He yelled as he began to shoot a giant fireball at the elder ninja. Kakashi jumped to avoid the fireball, and saw a kunai flying towards the bells at his side. He sidestepped the blade, but as it passed him it seemed to transformed into Naruto who grabbed the bells, and ripped them off of Kakashi's pants.

"Gotcha. Mission complete" He joked as he landed with a bang into the ground. He stood up, and tossed one of the bells to Sasuke. Sakura stepped out into the clearing, and took the other one from Naruto.

"Okay so I'll just leave, and go back to the Academy. See ya later." Naruto said with a grin as he turned to walk away. He mentally counted how long it took for Kakashi to say something.

"Wait Blondie. Come back here." Kakashi said. Naruto turned back to face him, and Kakashi knew he had just been messed with. "You knew that I wouldn't send just one of you to the academy, and willingly gave up the chance to stay if I actually had. Why?"

"Sakura has the classroom smarts, but she needs real training to improve. Sasuke was at the top of our class, so I doubt he'd enjoy being sent back. Me on the other hand, I'm the last place. I can't even do a simple clone technique, so who cares if I go back? The council might even enjoy it." He said. He had dealt with the council of Konoha before when he had been accused of petty things as a kid, so he knew that a majority of the civilian side didn't like him. Being in the academy allowed them to legally interfere with his life since he would still be considered a civilian until he joined a team and registered as a genin.

"So you figured you'd be the best candidate to be thrown to the side. Any actual reasons on that?" Kakashi said pressing the boy.

"I'm an orphan. I don't matter in the long run, or so that's what I've been told almost daily for years. I thought I'd use that to my advantage" Naruto explained.

"Well. All three of you have passed. How about I take you out to eat?" Kakashi said grinning, although his students couldn't tell.

"Awesome. How about Ichiraku ramen!" Naruto said with a grin. Kakashi let out a small groan, but then laughed.

"Sure kid, but remember. You told me you would tell me the jutsu you can use. I'll need to know so I can set up a training regiment for the team. You are the only one who didn't have any of the jutsu you knew listed in the information I was given."

* * *

"I don't know where you put it, but I think six bowls is enough Naruto. So can you keep up your side of our bargain?" Kakashi said trying to save his wallet. Naruto looked up from his empty bowl, and sighed.

"Okay. I guess I should go over what you already know, and then move on to the other stuff." Naruto began "There is the Shadow Clone, and Exploding Clone jutsus from the Forbidden scroll. I guess there is the Demon Claw, Chakra Pulse, Transformation, and Substitution jutsus. I'm pretty sure there are a few others, but I'm drawing a blank.." Naruto placed laced his fingers together as he thought.

"Okay, while you think about others can you explain how you find the Demon Claw technique?" Kakashi asked guiding the conversation along.

"Oh that's a custom technique" Naruto said proudly. "I found a scroll detailing how to channel chakra into weapons made of chakra conducting material, and figured it would work with the body since the body is a natural chakra conductor. It took me awhile to harden the chakra into that black substance though. I guess I could change the color, but when I made it I was thinking how cool it would be to have a claw that looked like it was made out of shadows." he laughed at that last part then he slammed his fist onto the counter alarming his teammates who had been listening. "The Shadow Step! That's what I was forgetting."

"The Shadow Step? Sounds like a bad dance move." Sasuke chided. It didn't sound strong or powerful. It was probably a low ranked jutsu he'd find in the library.

"You sure you mean the Shadow Step Technique Naruto?" Kakashi asked worried, "That jutsu is a B-ranked Assassination technique used by the Anbu. The secrets are heavily guarded, so where did you learn it?" Sasuke's mouth dropped. Such a lame name for a technique used solely by the greatest ninja in the village.

"Yeah." Naruto said as he brought out a scroll from his jacket. "Here's the scroll I learned it from." He handed it to Kakashi who glanced over it before lighting it on fire with a spark from his fingertips.

"I don't know how that got out, but I'm glad that only one person outside the Anbu learned it. I'll have to talk to the Hokage about this leak." Kakashi said. That jutsu was handed down by torturous training methods, and the only scroll of it was locked away in the archive in the Anbu headquarters. He'd definitely have to talk to the Hokage.

"So I'm guessing I'm gonna have to turn any other assassination jutsu scrolls I find?" Naruto guessed as he sighed. They weren't the flashiest, but he could see them coming to use.

"Unfortunately." Kakashi agreed. Having those kinds of techniques would do more harm in the hand of a genin than the kids who sat around him thought.

"Damn. I was hoping to keep them." the blond said as he pulled a few more scrolls out of his jacket. Kakashi could start to smell the smoke of a seal being released as Naruto pulled out the fifth scroll. He arranged them neatly on the table. "I was hoping to learn a few more, but I guess one out of six will have to do."

Kakashi sighed as he gathered the scrolls, and tucked them into his pockets. He'd need to figure out where the kid was finding these scrolls. Naruto put his head down, and mock weeped. Sasuke, and Sakura returned to their food. Kakashi mentally went over the scrolls Naruto had given him. Other than the Shadow Step, there were two genjutsu to stop the target, two torture techniques and a jutsu to sever the veins without damaging the skin. He was glad the kid didn't seem to actually learn them, although he knew Naruto couldn't do a genjutsu to save his life and the last one required expert control so he doubted Naruto could learn it anyway.

"Sensei. Why did you burn the scroll for the Shadow Step? Shouldn't you have kept it for evidence?" Sakura piped up once everything seemed to quiet down. Sasuke, and Naruto thought it over, and both of them nodded in agreement.

"That technique, while low ranked compared to some of the techniques the Anbu use, is still a confidential and the most common technique they use. It's how they get around town without being noticed. For someone outside the Anbu to know it is unheard of." Kakashi explained, although in reality he had used a jutsu to switch it out for a scroll before lighting it on fire.

"Well the idiot knows it, so it can't be too hard to learn." Sasuke said smugly. Sakura thought about agreeing, but then she remembered that Naruto seemed to know how to do things that genin shouldn't be able to like the forbidden techniques. The two he used she knew were forbidden for taking an extreme drain on the user, yet he used them without feeling winded.

"You're right, and wrong. Anyone can learn it, but to use it you have to be able to use chakra to increase your speed, and mask your presence. It's not used for travel because the shunshin does the same thing for speed, and requires much less chakra." Kakashi explained to the kids.

"So you're saying the idiot knows something that's similar to the shunshin, except for the fact it adds in the ability to get around unseen." Sasuke deduced, "I'm sure I could do it if he can.". Kakashi nodded his head, although he realized he'd have to do something about the Uchiha's ego.

"Well since I'm not gonna be getting any more ramen, I'll be going." Naruto said as he stood up and stretched. Kakashi was having a bad feeling about what the kid was going to do, but he couldn't really stop him. Naruto proved his instinct right by taking a single step, and disappearing from the view of the other students. To them it seemed as if he simply stepped into the shadows and became one.

"Did he just use the Shadow Step?" Sakura asked to verify. She heard when Kakashi said it was an assassination technique, but from what she knew of Naruto she expected something flashy. Whenever she thought she'd figured him out a bit, he threw her for a loop.

"Indeed, and I'll be taking his leave." Kakashi said as he shunshined away, leaving Sakura and Sasuke. He'd left without paying the bill

"Okay, so which one of you is going to pay the bill?" Teuchi the owner asked pacing the bill in front of the two genin. Sasuke sighed as he pulled out a small amount, but it was nowhere near enough to pay for all the ramen. He turned his head to Sakura who had pulled out some money also. He put his part of the money on the counter as they both paid the bill. He'd have to get back at the blond, and his sensei for this.


	5. Child of the Fox

I realized when I began writing this chapter that I skipped ninja registration, so I just rolled with that. Plus it allowed me to advance the plot a bit without trying to work it into Naruto learning what he did in the chapter before the test. I also plan to eventually work my way into rewriting the first couple chapters since I don't really like how they were written, but I'm waiting till I've got a couple more chapters in the story to do that.

I started to look things up, and it turns out there is no council of Konoha. Guess reading too much fan fiction does that to you. So I rewrote this entire chapter as just a meeting of people called together by the Hokage.

To Xylion, unfortunately I will confirm that Naruto actually got rid of the scrolls. If I remember right he gave kakashi two genjutsu, and one that was similar to medical jutsu. Both of which I'm not letting him learn, especially not as young. With the shadow step he knows how to use chakra through his body parts other than his hands, but he's still too inexperienced with getting the right levels. The only things he really lost that he might have learned were two torture techniques, which I'd rather keep him away from. The scrolls were more to show that he had access to a variety of jutsu scrolls from scrounging around. plus for those who noticed it, there was "sealing smoke" when he took them out of his jacket. Just something I added in that nobody who reviewed thought much of.

Disclaimer: I don't own this show.

* * *

"Name is Naruto Uzumaki. Age is 12. Birthday is October 10th. I'm a guy. No known living relatives. Ward of the State. Known jutsu, okay that's easy. Demon Claw, Shadow Step, Chakra Pulse, Shadow Clone, Exploding Clone, Transformation, Substitution, Object Sealing Technique. No known bloodline. Clan, well I guess Uzumaki." Naruto rattled off in a whisper as he filled out the registration form for ninja duty. The more he filled it out the more he despised paperwork in general. He could see why the old man took every opportunity to get out of it. 'Oh god, just this one form is ungodly. I can't imagine having to do even two or three more. I feel sorry for the old man.'

"Naruto Uzumaki." the old man who would take his picture called out, "Your turn for the camera." Naruto stood up, and folded his form to tuck into his jacket.

"That's me" Naruto said raising his hand to draw attention. Ever since he'd ditched the track suit people were having a hard time recognizing him. Which he thought was a good thing for the most part. Although Ayame had practically crushed him when he walked into Ichiraku with his team the day before.

"Okay. Now stand there" The man said positioning the boy. "Now smile, good." He handed the photo over to the boy. Naruto thanked the man, and went back to filling out the form. When he finally finished the form he took a paperclip, and stuck the photo and form together. He stood up, and headed to the Hokage's office.

* * *

"Well. I'm surprised at the techniques you seem to know. Two kinjutsu, a sensor technique, one b rank, the basic sealing technique, even a custom jutsu but only two of the academy three." Hiruzen said as he looked over the paper until he reached the part of the form where the boy had written his clan. "Why did you say your clan was the Uzumaki?"

"Well my last name is Uzumaki, and from one of the books I read they were an old clan. Not sure why, but I figured I wouldn't just be given a name without a reason" Naruto reasoned. He knew they were wiped out years ago according to the book, but didn't know anything else. He watched as the Hokage snapped his fingers. An anbu appeared, and then disappeared after getting a whisper from the old man.

"I've called for Kakashi. I was going to tell you this when you reached Chunin, but I guess that's a bit of a wait. Once your sensei arrives I'll tell you of your heritage." Naruto's jaw dropped as he understood what the Hokage was saying. He was going to be told who his parent's were, finally he'd know where he was from.

"Really gramps?" Naruto gaped.

Hiruzen laughed at the young boy "Yes Naruto" It was a bit much to take in for the boy, but his brain was already running in full motion. Blond hair wasn't an easy trait to find in Konoha. The Yamanaka were the largest group of blonds. The sannin Tsunade had blond hair, so he supposed the senju might have other blonds in the ranks. The fourth hokage had blond hair, but he didn't have a wife to Naruto's knowledge. He knew there were a couple other blond families since he'd ran into a couple a few blond kids in the playground.

"Ah Kakashi. I'm glad you're here." the Hokage said bringing Naruto out of his thoughts. His sensei was in his normal gear, but he lacked the flack jacket for whatever reason.

"How could I not. I'm surprised you finally decided to tell the boy who his parent's are." Kakashi remarked. Hiruzen looked down at the desk, knowing himself he knew that Kakashi was right in being surprised. If Naruto hadn't written down Uzumaki under clan, and had written none he'd probably would have put it off until later. Naruto just watched at this in awe. His sensei knew who his parent's were?

"Now Naruto. Before I tell you who your parent's are I must warn you that there is a reason this information was not made public. Your parent's made a lot of enemies outside the village, and I didn't want them to make a target out of you when you were little." Hiruzen began. Naruto nodded, it seemed like a decent reason. He still wished the old man would have told him sooner, but he knew the Hokage had a lot to deal with.

"Your mother was a wonderful woman, and a kind person." the old man continued, although he stumbled when Kakashi let out a small laugh. "Your father was an amazing ninja, and one who everyone in the village seemed to love. You know the story of the Kyuubi by now correct?"

"Yeah. The fourth sealed the dumb fox inside me right? Mizuki sorta explained it a couple days ago." Naruto said. He was grinning like a mad man. He was about to learn the secret he'd craved for years.

"Indeed. The fourth hokage could not defeat the beat, but with the help of his wife he sealed the biju inside a newborn." The Hokage paused as he let this sink in for the boy. Naruto's grin faded as he took it in.

"Wait. The fourth had a wife? I thought he was single." Naruto said. He learned as much about his hero as he could, but nowhere did anything mention a wife.

"Yes. He was married in secret so his wife would not become a target. You see she had become pregnant shortly into their marriage, so he felt that she needed to be protected. She was much like you, and she held the same burden you do now." He watched as the boy kept nodding to what he said up until the last part.

"What? You mean she was like me? Who was she?" Naruto asked quickly interrupting the old man. Kakashi simply grinned beneath his mask, and watched as the boy took it all in. Hiruzen laughed at the boys reaction.

"I'll get to that in a little bit. Because she was with child, the seal weakened allowing the kyuubi to escape. The fourth, and her fought back the beast and finally gave their lives to seal the beast away in the one person they had complete trust in. Their child." The Hokage could swear he heard Naruto stop breathing.

"No way. It can't be. No way. You can't mean?" Naruto stumbled out. His entire world was collapsing in front of his eyes. He was the son of the fourth Hokage, the man he had idolized since he could recognize the face.

"Yes. Your father was the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Your mother was his wife, a survivor from the land of whirlpools, Kushina Uzumaki. I knew of your heritage because I was your father's student, and was one of the few to know of their marriage." Kakashi jumped in taking the lead. He watched as Naruto closed his eyes, and then fell to the ground. It must have been too much for the boy. "I'll take the boy to his apartment, and stay there with him until he wakes up."

"Kakashi, I will talk to you about his living arrangements later. I wish to discuss it with a group of clan leaders, and select few other civilians in our village. Remember though, if Jiraiya ever comes back and wants to raise the boy he is the boys godfather." Hiruzen said. Kakashi nodded as he picked up his sensei's son, and shunshined off to the boys apartment.

* * *

"Damn I've got a headache." Naruto complained as he sat up. He looked around to see where he was, and noticed he was in his apartment. "That was a crazy dream."

"Kid, if that was a dream then I shouldn't be here." Kakashi said drawing the blonds attention to the doorway. "Everything the Hokage said was true. Your father was my sensei, and the fourth Hokage." Naruto's eyes seemed to gloss over as he remembered the meeting with the hokage.

"Hey, sensei. If my father was the fourth, then why do all the people treat me like trash?" He asked the elder ninja. Kakashi thought about it for a while.

"The village was nearly decimated that day. They blame the Kyuubi, but the Third let it slip to the ninja around him that you had the kyuubi sealed inside you. Word got around that you were a jinchuuriki from there. Knowing he couldn't stop them from knowing, he put a law in place that nobody could talk about it under penalty of death. He thought that would be enough to give you a better childhood, but obviously not. He probably should have told everyone you were Minato's child, but Minato did make some enemies. Iwa comes to mind at first thought, but there were others." Kakashi said. The boy took the information in.

"I see." Naruto said. He could see why the third would do that, even if he had a not so lucky childhood. Then again he probably wouldn't have learned all the cool jutsu he did if he had known. He probably would have been taken in by a ninja, maybe even Kakashi and only learn what they wanted him to learn.

"But now that you know who your father is, the Hokage is going to talk and see what he can do for you." Kakashi said. Something tapped the window, so Naruto got up and opened it. In flew a bird with a case around it's foot.

"Seems one of us has news from the Hokage." Kakashi said. Naruto wasn't sure what was going on, but he took out the message from the birds case. Once he did the bird flew away.

"Should I read it?" He asked his sensei. Kakashi nodded, and the boy began to open it. "To Kakashi, and Naruto. You have been summoned by the Hokage. Your presence is wanted at the Meeting hall in the Hokage Mansion." he read out loud.

"Well, then we better get to it." Kakashi said grabbing the boy, and tossing him over his shoulder.

"Watch what you are doing!" Naruto exclaimed. He was about to try to get off when Kakashi jumped out the window. "Bastard. This is kidnapping!"

* * *

"Kakashi, and his student have arrived." One of the guards announced to the room as the two walked in the door.

"Have I told you I hate you yet?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"Seven times on the way over here. It was quicker my way." He replied, although he knew that if the boy were to use shadow step he'd get to the meeting rather quick.

"Thank you both for coming here." Hiruzen said trying to stop the mini feud before it evolved much more. It seemed like two brothers fighting which was well enough, but they were also teacher and student. He looked around the room at the clan elders, and assorted guests he had gathered. They were all anticipating this.

"So gramps. What's this about?" Naruto asked.

"Don't talk to the Hokage like that punk" Tsume said baring her teeth. Being an Inuzuka meant that she liked simple hierarchy, just like the one she had been raised in.

Naruto was about to laugh at the woman's outburst when one of the other people in the room spoke up. "He's a kid. My daughters his age, but she's still just a kid like him. I couldn't imagine her acting polite one-hundred percent of the time. When was the last time your own kids treated you with respect all the time?" Tsume stared at the pink haired man.

"Thank you Kizashi. I'm glad you feel that way. Now let's get to the purpose of this meeting. Naruto had recently been informed about his heritage." The Hokage spoke. Some of the clan heads had learned due to their positions, but the rest of the people in the room were unaware. Those clan heads who hadn't learned of his heritage had been told that the knowledge would be public when the boy learned.

"Some of you know the truth, but I want to see if the rest of you can see it." Hiruzen said. He honestly just wanted to see how they reacted

"He's obviously of Shinobi heritage" One of them said. "Otherwise it wouldn't be a secret." Naruto eyed the woman. It was the woman who had tried to scold him. The markings under her eyes reminded him of Kiba, so she had to be one of the Inuzuka.

"He's not part of a clan, otherwise they'd have claimed him already." Another claimed. This one had long black hair, and white eyes meaning he was a Hyuuga. The others looked around to see if anyone else had ideas. Eventually Kizashi just leaned back in his chair, and spoke.

"Just tell us, or give us a hint. I'm kinda liking this game." He said. A few of the others glared at him.

"Fine. A hint it is. Shikaku if you please." Hiruzen spoke gently. He was hoping the man wouldn't give them anything easy.

" His blond hair betrays his father, and his personality is likeness of his mother." Shikaku said with his eyes closed. "I'd just tell them already, this is a drag." Naruto started to laugh out loud at this point. "What's so funny?"

"You sound like Shikamaru with the lazy attitude, and pessimistic tone." Naruto explained. A couple of the shinobi did little laughs at the comment. Years of working with Shikaku had taught them that the man was lazy, unless his wife was in the equation.

Inoichi laughed besides the spiky black haired man. "He's got you pegged. Sounds just like you, and your son." Shikaku just grumbled something as the few civilians in the room stared at the interaction. Naruto looked around the room to get a better look at everyone. He noticed that the old man from Ichiraku's was in the crowd, along with a man with pink hair that reminded him of a sakura petal the way it was shaped. He noticed that there were a lot of people in either flak jackets, or just ninja garb in general.

"The only major female prankster that I can think of would be Kushina." Teuchi spoke up. "But she had a thing for the fourth." At that comment quite a few members of the unaware looked at the boy, and then to each other.

"This is priceless, someone take a picture" Kizashi spoke up. In his opinion this was shaping up to be a festival.

"The boy is indeed Minato's son as I assume you have all reached that conclusion." the Hokage said gathering everyone's attention. They stopped staring at the boy, and looked at their leader.

"It can't be true. He was never married. He and Kushina dated yes, but come on now. He was an honorable man." someone, Naruto recognized the lady as the receptionist for the hokage, exclaimed.

"Indeed he was an honorable man, but it is false to say he was not married. I attended the ceremony myself. He had been married roughly a year before the attack." Hiruzen revealed. "Now that the information has passed to you, I will have one of the Anbu notify the other ninjas that this information is now public knowledge. Anyone who wants to know who his parents are will be allowed to know, even the civilians. Spread the word if you want."

Many of the civilians in the room were in shock, some of them had even told others to continue the hunts for the boy. The boy who was the son of their hero.

"I've started to like this kid even more. Can we get some meetings like this as a regular thing." Kizashi laughed once more. Some of the others glared at the man. They couldn't take it if there many more like this meeting..

"Now that that's over with. I would like to bring up a piece for discussion. Because his heritage has been revealed, and he's become a Genin we need to figure out who will watch out for him and if we will allow him to stay in his current apartment." Hiruzen brought up.

"I object" Hiashi declared. "He is the last of the known Uzumaki, and the Child of the fourth. To let just anyone watch over him would be a travesty, and everyone knows that apartment he lives in is a death trap." A few of the others nodded in agreement.

"It is a good thing that the man who wants to watch over the boy is not just anyone. He is one of our ex-Anbu captains, and the student of the boys father." eyes turned to Kakashi as they were told this.

"Yeah, I'm the bastard that might have to deal with the brat." He confirmed. Kizashi stifled a laugh so as not to interrupt. Kakashi had taken out his special book, and was reading it while the meeting was going on. A few of the females present threw him glances, but knew they couldn't do anything. The man was fast, and hard to capture as many of them knew first hand.

"Then in that case I see no problems with the arrangement, except for the fact that the boy is his student. There is a reason we try not to put family members together during team arrangement." Hiashi continued.

"I have to agree with Hiashi, the brats his student. It's a bit wrong for him to watch over the boy as a guardian." Tsume tossed in. She didn't completely agree though. Kakashi was known for his professionalism on missions, so she assumed he could go from big brother to teacher quickly. However Kakashi had flaunted his book many times during prior meetings, and she felt he needed to face the consequences in whatever way she could find.

"I don't mind living on my own. I've become self-dependent and learned a lot so far in life." Naruto poked in. Kakashi sighed, this wasn't going as well as he'd hoped and Naruto himself was the reason.

"Like what?" Hiashi asked concerned. He, like the other clan heads, knew of his living status over the years so they were quite curious.

"A lot more discipline than I've shown anyone, including the likes of you. Have Kakashi or Gramps told any of you about the jutsu I used against Kakashi in the teamwork exam? I supposed you also know of my ability to evade Anbu easily after my pranks. I don't just sit around doing nothing all day after all." He said.

"So what jutsu did you use against Kakashi that you think will prove to us that you are okay to live alone without someone watching over you? I'm actually curious." Inoichi said preempting the other clan heads.

"Let's start with one you must at least know of and recognize. The _Shadow Step_." Naruto said before walking into the corner and performing it. The civilians were quite surprised as to them it seemed like the boy just vanished into the shadows in the corner. An aptly named jutsu some of them thought.

"Now do you see." Naruto said bringing everyone's attention to him. He was standing behind Kizashi holding a single kunai by the ring letting it rock back and forth. "That technique requires advance chakra manipulation, but not fine tuned chakra control. I learned that technique with no instructor."

"I see what you mean, but what do you mean that you would start with one we knew of? Does that mean you have others?" Shikaku asked. Maybe this meeting wasn't going to be a drag.

"Well like I just said I don't have precision with my chakra control. I pump too much into my jutsu. That's partially how I created this." He said "_Demon's Claw Technique_"

Like when he used it before the chakra flowed out of his skin, and covered his arm in a visible chakra cloak. It solidified into the black substance that Kakashi had seen before. Some of the civilians thought it looked like one of the nine tails claws, while the ninja thought about how much time and effort it would take to create such a technique.

"Why did you name it Demon's Claw?" Hiashi asked seeing the jutsu in action. Using his byakugan he could tell it was pure chakra, which surprised him. It meant that the boy had some sort of mastery over shape control, but he also noticed what the boy meant. The chakra was constantly dispersing, and being replaced. His basic control was shotty, even if his shape control was excellent for his age.

"I thought it sounded cool." He admitted letting it disperse. "At first I kept messing around with names, and that was the only one that sounded right."

"Well. We've seen that the boy is above his level in a few aspects in his training, but from his scores he seems below on the theoretical knowledge." Shikaku said. He agreed with the unspoken awe for the technique. It was the kind of thing that people had spent years to develop, and a preteen boy had done it in secret while being watched by Anbu.

"Your sons grades were only slightly better than mine." Naruto grumbled, he had recognized the man earlier from some of the times Shikamaru had gotten into trouble. Iruka had gotten onto Shikamaru about his overall grades almost as often as he'd gotten onto Naruto for them. The only difference was that Shikamaru had kept his at right above passing every time, while Naruto fluctuated between excellent, and failed.

"Unfortunately that's correct. The boy has no drive, which I have to say you seem to have." Shikaku admitted. He could hear Choza beside him say something about a pot and kettle, but he didn't have enough energy to try to listen.

"Now that we've seen what the boy can do without supervision, and everyone knows his heritage let's get back to what I wanted to know when I called this meeting. Are there any suggestions on housing arrangements now that the boy is no longer viable for the help we've given him as an orphan of unknown origin." Hiruzen said trying to rally everyone together.

"Why not let the boy live in the old Namikaze residence. It hasn't been touched since Minato died, and it was part of the will along with everything inside." Choza suggested. Naruto wasn't sure what clan the man was from, but he was big. He guessed the man was Choji's father since they looked similar. A few others gave their support for the Idea.

"I see. I can't argue with that logic. Now what do you say Naruto? Are you willing to move out of that apartment of yours, and into a real house?" Hiruzen asked the boy he thought of as a grandson.

"I" Naruto began. "Don't know. It's still kinda hard to believe the fourth was my dad, and I have the Hokage, a group of clan heads, and a jonin telling me it's true."

"That lot was well protected. Only those of Minato's blood or were added into the seal have access. It also contains his library, and training room." Hiruzen said. He had added the last part because he knew the boy would take to those parts of the building like a moth to a flame.

"Really? Oh man that would be really cool" Naruto said, then he stopped to think "But is it really okay?"

"Yes kid, it's all yours. If you want it that is. If not then it'll just sit there waiting until one of Minato's lot comes around to claim it, and you are the only one." Kakashi said. The boy had a grin on his face a mile wide.

"I'll move in immediately. Oh man, this will be awesome." Naruto said jumping out the window. The people who had gathered watched as the boy left the premises.

"I'm glad no one in my clan has to deal with that kid on their team." Tsume said with a sigh.

"Isn't your daughter on his team Kizashi?" Inoichi asked. He knew the man well since their daughters had been friends when they were little.

"Yeah, she's one my little genin" Kakashi broke in.

"Then I'm very sorry for you, and your wife." Inoichi finished. People started to trickle out of the room until only Kakashi, and Hiruzen were left in the room.

"Go find him, and lead him to the house. I'd be surprised if he didn't get lost." the elder ninja said.

Kakashi sighed as he began to walk to the window. "Sure. I was just getting to a good part though."

* * *

"Why must I deal with these people?" Hiruzen grumbled as he returned to his desk. He looked at all the loose sheets of paper on his desk "And why must I deal with this abomination?"


End file.
